Tak EM200 mount problem

[Oscar in Bin]

My EM200 shows the power light when connected to 12V supply. However, the usual sound of the drive motors is absent. The hand controller will not slew the mount in any direction. I run it as an Ascom mount via SkyX for goto. When I try to connect the mount via SkyX it fails. When I search via Ascom it cannot find the Temma. I run everything via CCDAp and trying to connect through this route also fails.
I have checked there is a COM port assigned and this shows a port when the mount is connected.
Thoughts???

[issdaol]

Dead control board perhaps?

Typically you will hear the EM200 drive tracking as soon as you power up.

The only other instance I have heard is when someone connected it to a 12v battery that was on the way out.....and the battery was not supplying enough power to get the drives operational or make the interfaces power up.....but the power LED was on.

So you could try with a second fully charged power supply prior to anything else.

[tempestwizz]

Stating the obvious but, there are two switches yes? One for motors, and one for electronics. (On my Temma2 JR)

[Oscar in Bin]

Phil, I have tried it with a fully charged battery so suspect it is the control board unfortunately.
Brian, only one switch on my EM200 and the hand controller shows power but doesn't slew the mount so don't think it is a switching problem.

[Dennis]

Does the Red LED in the Polar Alignment Scope illuminate - or is that off as well?

Cheers

Dennis

[Oscar in Bin]

Dennis, the red light in the alignment scope is on.

[Oscar in Bin]

One other thought. At the end of my last imaging session using CCDAp I used the Mount Park function. From memory this disconnects the drives but I would expect to be able to get back in to the mount and unpark it via Ascom/SkyX that I use for my goto. I have Ascom set to unpark on connection but ASCOM is not seeing the mount to perform this function.

[issdaol]

When you power down the mount it loses all of the connection and alignment data.

If you cant hear the drives tracking after power up (it is a very low level hum so easily missed in a noisy environment) there is definitely an electronic/hardware issue of some sort.

So if you know for a fact that your battery is in good condition then that eliminates the battery being at fault as well.

Of course if you are unsure about the battery you could always plug into a mains connected power pack just to make sure.

As for the red light on the polar scope....I have seen instances where that has been displaced and not working but the mount continues to work fine so its actually not a good test/indicator of other problems.

If it is a board issue (which is is sounding more and more likely based on tests you have done) you could just ship it to Tak and get it repaired.

Considering the overall quality of the mount its hard to get the same quality alternative for the cost of shipment and repair.

That being said if you dont want to spend the money on shipment and repair are happy with a cheaper mount like an AZEQ6, then they do the job.

I have an AZEQ6 and it handles my TOA150 relatively well....its much noisier and not as mechanically precise as my EM400 but its ok for the price point.

[Dennis]

The Tak Control Box can be de-mounted from the body of the EM200 and sent to Tak in Japan for testing / repair. I did this a few years ago as it was slewing in random, crazy directions. I think it cost me around $220 back in 2012?

I did this via AEC as I think it was the preferred method (by Tak) as they asked me for a serial number to validate it was purchased in Australia.

Here is a series of photos showing the Control Box.

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

This is what it looks like inside the Control Box.

Cheers

Dennis

[tempestwizz]

FWIW, The pics Dennis has provided are for the same Temma as I have. John advises that his only has one switch.

I myself have issues with the connection to the hand controller box, and note that several others have also had problems with the hand controller box connection. The symptoms are that the mount drives don’t appear to be driving, but on close inspection (for my case) the RA is driving as can be noted by movement of the RA decoder. The cause of the problem is a poor connection to the 8 pin mini DIN plug on the Temma module. I found by jiggling it around severely, I could get it to work again if I held it just the right angle. But from session to session the problem persisted. So, maybe hand controller connectivity.
For my unit, I could get RS232 connectivity, and control the mount via both TSX, and SkySafari. John advises that he sees a com port connected, but doesn’t connect to TSX. That allowed me to isolate the hand controller as the issue.

On my unit, I have in the past, removed the Temma unit and disconnected, then reconnected all internal cabling. It is worth a try. Make sure the flat cables are properly inserted and seated.
I am assuming you are using the same power supply as has worked before? I have also had issues with powering via some switch mode power supplies. It seems the switching frequencies of some can upset the Temma operation.
Hope this may help.
(PS if find out your Temma is dead, I’d like to rat the board for the 8 pin mini DIN socket that is dodgy in mine)

[Oscar in Bin]

Thanks everyone. I will remove the box and send it away for brain surgery. Is AEC still in business? I have been trying to contact Claudio for several days without success.